Kaname Chidori
"I just wanted to lead an ordinary life! What's so wrong with that!?" An ordinary girl leading about as ordinary a life as possible in a world as wartorn as this, Kaname Chidori seemed set for greatness of the most mundane kind. Although she has a minor criminal record after a turbulent period following her mother's death, she seems to be mostly the ideal student now. Her father is a minor official presiding over a minor council within the Earth Federation, and some expect Kaname to follow in his footsteps as a capable but not terribly remarkable human being. That is, of course, what they said until Sousuke Sagara entered her life... Background Information Kaname Chidori spent the first ten years of her life in her birthplace of Japan with her father, mother, and younger sister, where she lived a seemingly perfectly normal life. But that all changed when her father was offered the position of Environmental High Commissioner of the Earth Federation Alliance. Kaname was unceremoniously moved from one side of the world to the other, and spent most of her elementary and junior high school years in suburban New York. Her mother's health began to decline after a few years in the U.S. and at the end of the American school year, her family moved back to Japan, where she enrolled in junior high. Shortly after the transfer, Kaname was briefly put under house arrest for malicious damage to school property. Three months later, her mother died of cancer. Three years after the death of her mother, her father and younger sister moved back to New York; Kaname chose to stay in Japan and moved into her own apartment, where she continued her education at Jindai High School. Apart from her living arrangements (which set her several thousand miles away from her immediate family), life was back to normal for Kaname--until Sousuke Sagara came into her life. Strange things started happening after Sousuke enrolled at Jindai High, and it was obvious to Kaname that he was a real military maniac. However, it wasn't until she was captured by Gauron that Sousuke's true motivations were revealed--and that Kaname discovered that she was a Whispered, a psychic with access to highly-advanced technology highly-sought by organizations like Amalgam, the terrorist group that employed her captor. She was subsequently rescued by Sousuke and the rest of the Mithril forces, but since then, nothing has been the same. Until recently, Kaname was attending Tokyo-02 University, where she was currently majoring in Engineering. However, a series of events forced her to join Mithril earlier than intended, and she is currently developing technology for the organization alongside fellow Whispered Teletha Testarossa. Personality and Traits In many ways, Kaname Chidori isn't a stereotypical Japanese girl; where most Japanese are passive and permissive, Kaname is their opposite: outspoken, aggressive, and temperamental. Unlike most of her peers, she isn't afraid to speak her mind, and is, at times, dangerously blunt. It is perhaps the years she spent abroad in America that helped to shape her into the antithesis of the archetypal Japanese. Generally, Kaname is good-natured and helpful, and only a few people (namely Sousuke Sagara) are able to provoke her into aggression; when she's angry, though, she's not afraid to express it physically, be it in the form of a harisen beating or via a swift kick to the face. It is likely due to her spirited personality that Kaname has been described by her peers as "the girl that everyone likes, but no one wants to date". Contrary to what her personality might suggest, Kaname is genuinely a responsible and selfless person, who cares about those around her in situations both life-threatening and mundane. From her stubborn refusal to escape to Mithril's submarine without Kurz and Sousuke to disguising herself as a beautiful, sophisticated older woman when Sousuke's attempt to capture the hearts of women as part of a club contest resulted in complete failure, it's easy to see that Kaname is a kind and considerate person--even if it's a facet of her personality she doesn't often expose. Kaname's relationship with her family is best described as complicated. After her mother's death, and likely even before it, Kaname has had a strained relationship with her father. It was due to their tense relationship that Kaname likely chose to stay in Japan in lieu of moving back to America with her father and younger sister. She does, however, stay in contact with her family via her sister Ayame, who she remains on good terms with. Like many civilians, Kaname isn't pleased there's a war going on, but also accepts it as an unpleasant part of reality. There's no helping it, she reasons, given the massive differences between those involved in the conflict. Until recently, she showed no interest in getting involved with the conflict, but recent events have changed been enough to spur the young Whispered into action. Talents and Abilities Kaname is a Whispered, a group of psychics with the ability to receive advanced technological information in the form of whispers that only she and other Whispered can hear. Like all other Whispered, Kaname was born as a normal child, and as she grew in intellect and maturity, began to hear whispers. Those Whispers result in not only in a tangible rise of intelligence (to the point where many Whispereds can be called geniuses), but also in the occasional burble of intellect in the form of technology or situational wisdom. These whispers do not come without their detriments, as it is possible for them to overtake a Whispered and lead to a breakdown. Aside from having access to large amounts of technology, the Whispered also have the ability to communicate with one another telepathically over great distances, and even shortly after death. However, if the Whispered resonate for too long or too deeply, it is possible that they will lose themselves completely. However, Kaname also has a few mundane talents that make her a formidable force on the ground; she's won competitions in both swimming and track, and is extremely athletic. Any terrorist organization looking to capture this Whispered will have to be ready for a fight--or at the very least, a valiant struggle. Most recently, she has taken to learning to defend herself -- both on the battlefield and off; not a capable pilot quite yet, Kaname's interest in piloting only extends as far as the knowledge she would require to develop appropriate technology for would-be pilots. Relationships Friendship * Cagalli Yula Athha A recent friend to Kaname Chidori, the two met by introduction of Teletha Testarossa some time ago; only recently has their acquaintanceship budded into a fledgling friendship. As working with Mithril has kept her from some of her other friends, Cagalli is a welcome addition to Kaname's social circle, and has become somewhat of a confidant. * Macua Huitl Macua Huitl transferred into Jindai High during her second year and is the resident (female) model nerd. Though some might think that she'd have an easier time getting along with classmate and fellow AS nerd Shinji Kazama, Kaname and Macua struck up a friendship that's been burning strong since their second year. She later revealed she was a pilot to Kaname, who took the confession better than anyone probably expected. Though the two frequently pair up as study buddies with Kaname helping Macua with the more difficult math and sciences the girl pilot struggles with, they can be frequently seen teamed with fellow classmate, Meiya Mitsurugi, and less frequently, Kaname's best friend, Kyoko Tokiwa. * Meiya Mitsurugi Another one of Kaname's friends from high school, Meiya Mitsurugi has been in the same homeroom as Kaname since their second year. After an encounter on the TDD-1, Kaname learned that Meiya was a pilot for the EFA, and Meiya learned that Kaname was being guarded by Mithril. After Meiya told her about her secret life as an EFA pilot, Kaname realized the hardships her friend was going through without her knowing, and encouraged Meiya to confide in her about any problem she might have, on the battlefield or off of it... even if she doesn't really know all that much about ASes. The two are frequently seen together with fellow classmate, Macua Huitl, and the three often arrange study sessions to help each other with their more challenging subjects. * Sousuke Sagara Assigned to her by Mithril to serve as her guard, Sousuke has been charged with and has been carrying out his duty as part-time guard to Kaname Chidori since their second year of high school. Though the boy soldier has gotten Kaname out of numerous tight spots, he has also caused his share of disaster and conflict. Amazingly, despite his liberal use of explosives and military tactics, nearly every person he encounters has summed up his behavior to being a strange kid. Despite Kaname's frequent frustrations with Sousuke's extreme means of dealing with relatively mundane problems, she really does like Sousuke--perhaps even more than just like. Just don't expect her to admit it! * Teletha Testarossa The only Whispered Kaname Chidori has encountered, Teletha Testarossa is both her friend and rival in love. Despite their frequent arguments (which usually are related in some manner to mutual friend and love interest, Sousuke Sagara), Kaname does genuinely care about Tessa, and is just now beginning to realize that Tessa was never afforded the luxury of a normal life that she had for years taken for granted. Tessa is the leading motivator behind Kaname's decision to join Mithril and is Kaname's best friend. * Kyoko Tokiwa Kaname's only so-called "normal" friend, Kyoko and Kaname became fast friends when they first met at Jindai High School their first year. Sure, Kyoko's a little strange, but she and Kaname get along pretty well. Kaname feels some guilt at leaving her friend completely in the dark about everything -- but it's nice to have someone you can rely on that isn't caught up in all this Super Robot stuff. Trust * Johnny Domino Initially tasked with giving him a tour of the school, Kaname hasn't heard from him for months afterwards, as Johnny only ever attended classes once in a blue moon due to his military duties. Unfortunately, for this same reason, Domino was also failing miserably in most subjects. Kaname was thus instructed to tutor Domino after school, heralding the beginning of an extremely rocky relationship. Alternating between loud arguments and genuine moments of intimacy, Johnny and Kaname utlimately developed feelings for one another. When Johnny discovered that Kaname was not as normal as she seemed, he tried to persuade her to be protected by the EFA, but she refused, resulting in a massive fallout between the pair. Kaname apologized to Johnny much later, but it's clear that things aren't going to be the same as they once were. * Akira Tadokoro Until recently, Kaname's experience with the young psychic was limited to a smattering of chance encounters--one of the first being onboard the TDD-1 during Gauron and Ali Al-Saachez's attack. However, their relationship as mere acquaintances has started to evolve elsewhere as Kaname has started to rely on him for help with problems her other friends can't quite help her solve. Affinity * Duo Maxwell Duo and Kaname met shortly after his transfer to Jindai High during his second year and was once again tasked with giving him a tour of the school. The two forged a casual friendship over the course of the school year, often bumping into each other in the city and at school functions and city events. Duo unexpectedly took a leave of absence from the school at the end of his second year, but the two have recently gotten back in touch thanks to a beach trip they took together on the school founder's day. Kaname later discovered that Duo is the pilot of the Gundam Deathscythe. * Leonard Testarossa Kaname has interacted very little with the twin of her best friend, but from the few words that they've exchanged, Kaname doesn't feel that he's as bad of a person as she's heard; while she doesn't quite trust him yet, she certainly wouldn't mind talking to the other Whispered again. Contempt * Ali Al-Saachez He tried to sink the TDD-1. :( * Cecil Ciele He tried to kill her, and he blew up her apartment. :( * Gauron He kidnapped her, tried to kill her, and he tried to sink the TDD-1. :( Logs |ordermethod = title |notcategory = cutscenes |suppresserrors = yes }} Gallery Mithrilkaname.jpg|Kaname in her Mithril uniform kanameandfragarach.jpg|Kaname in her piloting uniform with Fragarach Category: Full Metal Panic! Category: Jindai High Students Category:Katharon Category:Whispered